ottawa foodies

With the great prices at Parkdale I've decided to can up some broccoli for the first time ever, and of course the frugal me is wondering about all the stalk that normally gets left over. Is that stuff good to eat? Maybe for soups? Pressure canning would soften it up pretty considerably.

I cut up the stalks lengthwise, thin, for stir fries.

to me the stalk is sometimes the best part...i take the leftover stalk (raw) peel the "skin" and eat it raw. Its crunchy, slighly sweet, very tasty...my kids think I'm nuts!

OK, so how thick is good?

There is the part at the very bottom which must be an inch or more thick, but seems really woody. Still good, or no?

I've got everything about as thick as my thumb in the jars, but there is an awful lot left over.

Yes! Chop off the very bottom woody part if it's dried out and a little brown. Peel the "skin" as spud guy says (I just pull it off with a paring knife). What's left is a nice mild tasting and versatile veggie!

Great cut up into sticks and eaten raw, or sliced thinly and added to salads, or chopped up and put into any vegetable soup. We typically collect them in our fridge over a week or two and then add them to soup.

Kewl, thanks all! Gonna do up a crapload of broccoli now that it is so cheap at Parkdale.

peel
julienne
use in slaw or salad

peel
slice
use in stirfry

peel
dice
soups, curry

Julienne for slaws and salads, like Obi suggested. It's great raw, as well. Also works well as a sandwich topper, if julienned.

Of course, pregnant wife was up all night gagging at the smell of broccoli, and has forbade me from canning anymore.

Sigh.

Fortunately I think I can probably do it outside on my propane burner for my turkey fryer - will report back!

i always thought the stalk was the best part.

I peel and cook the stems along with the florets whenever I make broccoli. It does take longer to cook, so you throw stuff into the pot/oven in two stages, but it's worth it.

I'm another who cooks the stalk... making sure to cut off about an inch or so to remove the woody end... and then usually chopping it and halfing it. I have also used in it successfully in soups.

Speaking of parts of plants that are not used, but could be, I was reading a book on preserving and came across a recipe for pickling cubed watermelon rind. It was popular preserve at one time.

Francis - it still is a popular preserve in the southern states of the USA. You can find it in some major grocery stores down south.

Chimichimi - LOL, I was just about to post the same thing... you beat me to it, touche!

Here is a recipe... I haven't made it, but it comes from a Website I love Real Cajun Recipes - www.realcajunrecipes.com

I'm with spud guy and FF. my favourite way to eat it is raw.

btw zym, why can broccoli? won't it discolour and get kind of limp and strong tasting? wouldn't freezing be a better idea?

Because I can!

We have limited freezer space and I only like to put in there stuff that really can't be canned. We've frozen broccoli before and probably still have some in there - which is part of the problem. It is like a bottomless pit for some things.

I can do a crapload of broccoli in jars. And for example I can just have a bunch of them at my desk at work like I do right now - waiting for a whim to open one and enjoy! It certainly has not discoloured. I'll open one right now to let you know about taste - have not tried it yet.

OK, here is the report : colour is normal. There is no texture to it at all - completely gone to moosh. Which really by my recollection is not really any different from freezing. Yes, the taste is stronger - this jar is one where I put the raw broccoli in and then canned it. I bet one of the ones where I steamed it first would not be as strong. But no matter in any case, it is for me and I'll eat it like this. My main goal is to be able to eat local veggies throughout the winter, so mission accomplished on that one.

that sounds gross. how will the rest of the family eat local throughout the winter?

btw, i have heard that broccoli does well dried, better than frozen or canned. i have never tried it myself.

i preserve local veggies in soup. we eat a lot of soup in the winter. we have a bowl of soup instead of salad with our meals.

I'm only worried about me at the moment :-) My wife cooks most of our meals and she does not have the same level of commitment that I do. At the moment at least, but I'm getting her there :-)

I do lots of soups, too. In fact am currently enjoying a wonderful squash soup from harvest 2008. But was aching to try something new given the cheap broccoli at the moment. And it is dirt simple too - far easier than soup.

I'll be firing up the sprouting real soon now too. Hmmm, wonder if I can get away with doing it here at work ... hmmmm

It's not really any more gross than frozen broccoli though. And I could probably get away with shorter processing times so it would not be as mooshy.

For your viewing pleasure :-)